If you have ever purchased a KidKraft play toy kitchen, you have likely noticed something very interesting.

Though KidKraft manufactures well over 30 different types of play toy kitchens that are available for purchase through various online and offline retail outlets, most of their kitchen sets do not include very basic complementary items/products that children arguably NEED to effectively play and have fun with their kitchen. Without at least some of these items/products, a child's interaction with their newly assembled play toy kitchen is really quite limited.

Having recently purchased the KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen set, it wasn't until we had purchased it, and assembled it, that we realized just how limited our son would be in playing with it--especially without those complementary items/products. As an extremely aesthetically pleasing kitchen set, with a wide array of functionality, a child can really only do so much with this set before quickly tiring and getting bored of it. Though I can't speak for all of KidKraft's 30+ other play toy kitchen sets, it is a reasonable assumption that this would be a prevailing problem and challenge for any set that doesn't include those complementary accessory items.

In this article, I will talk more about some complementary play items that can be used in conjunction with, not just KidKraft's Uptown Espresso Kitchen set, but all of their kitchen sets.

A Few Quick Caveats

In the last section, I had mentioned that "most" KidKraft play toy kitchens do NOT come with these complementary items.

Some sets, it appears, do come with them.

Whether or not they come with them seems largely contingent on where (and who) you purchase your toy kitchen set from. On KidKraft's own website, they list a small handful of products as actually including complementary items, while when you search elsewhere, they don't appear to be included. Of course, because KidKraft is only the manufacturer, a person, like you or I, can't actually purchase items from their website. Sure, we can research and read more about certain products, but we can't actually buy from their website. Only online or offline retailers, who have established/set-up accounts with them can actually buy KidKraft products to sell to their customers.

#1) Chalk

Of the many kitchen toy sets that KidKraft manufacturs, a few of them have chalk boards included.

After reviewing KidKraft's website, here are a few kitchen sets that do have chalk boards:

Junior chef's kitchen

Suite elite kitchen

Big & bright grand gourmet corner kitchen

Limited edition natural lime corner kitchen

Grand espresso corner kitchen

Espresso grand gourmet kitchen

Modern island kitchen

Limited edition orange corner kitchen

Grand gourmet corner kitchen

Uptown espresso kitchen (this is the kitchen we purchased...)

The above listed kitchen sets may or may not be an actual comprehensive list of all those sets that do have chalk boards. There may have been kitchen sets that I missed and, for that reason, they may not be included in that list.

Once assembled, you will find that chalk isn't (at the time of this writing) actually included. At least it wasn't included in the play toy kitchen set that we had purchased. If you have purchased/own any of the kitchens above, it is likely that you didn't receive any chalk with your play toy kitchen set. Admiring his hours of handy work, I can still recall my husband stepping back, observing the kitchen set he had just assembled, and inquiring about purchasing all the additional "must haves" that our son would need to actually play, learn, and engage.

We didn't necessarily EXPECT for those items to be there

Was there chalk included in the KidKraft toy play kitchen set that you purchased/own?

Yes. There was chalk included in the KidKraft toy play kitchen set that I/we purchased.

No. There chalk wasn't included in the KidKraft toy play kitchen set that I/we purchased.

#2) KidKraft Tasty Treats Pretend Food Play

What is a kitchen without food?

Just like real world kitchens, when you buy any KidKraft toy play kitchens, they don't actually come with food. Though your child can certainly amuse/entertain themselves by opening and closing the microwave/refrigerator doors, or by turning the range and stove knobs, chances are that they will tire quickly of these basic kitchen functions.

Pretend play food is really almost a necessity to have.

Of course, you can't actually eat it, but it will not only add life and vibrant color to the toy play kitchen, but pretend food also carries with it a lot of intrinsic learning benefits, as well. With pretend food, your children will not only learning about colors and the names of foods, but it will also provide an impetus for teaching lessons about sharing and working together with others (teamwork).

#3) KidKraft, Deluxe Cookware Set, (11 pieces)

No, this KidKraft deluxe cookware set isn't exactly the high-quality stainless steel cookware that you may have become accustoming to having in your REAL kitchen, but, just like the pretend food, it also brings along certain undeniable benefits....especially when naturally paired with the pretend food.

#4) KidKraft Tasty Treats Chef Accessory Set - Pink

Despite some strange initial reactions from our friends, the kitchen set we had purchased was actually for our son. If you have a son, it is completely up to you if you would like for him to wear this pink chef accessory set. Even though pink has become a readily accepted fashionable color among males as of late, some parents--and the boy children themselves--may not be particularly interested in being adorned in this pink color.

This pink KidKraft tasty treats check accessory set really provides the opportunity for a child to not only pretend to cook, but they can also dress the part. Children absolutely love to become immersed in the activities they are doing, and many children also absolutely love to dress the part. This outfit is the perfect accessory and complement to your newly appointed household chef!